*Cambodia’s Opposition Seeking Support for Free and Fair Elections* *Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha are visiting Japan this week, calling on support for improved democracy in Cambodia through free and fair elections.*
[image: Opposition leader of Cambodia National Rescue Party Sam Rainsy, center, delivers a speech next to his Deputy President Kem Sokha, right, during a gathering to mark Human Rights Day, in front of National Assembly, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, file photo.] <http://gdb.voanews.com/0F5FC474-915E-46A6-B22E-C507D018DEBB_cx0_cy4_cw0_mw1024_s_n_r1.jpg> Opposition leader of Cambodia National Rescue Party Sam Rainsy, center, delivers a speech next to his Deputy President Kem Sokha, right, during a gathering to mark Human Rights Day, in front of National Assembly, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, file photo. *Neou Vannarin <http://www.voacambodia.com/author/22233.html>, VOA Khmer* 10 November 2015 PHNOM PENH— Cambodia’s opposition leaders are visiting Japan this week, calling on support for improved democracy in Cambodia through free and fair elections. The visit of Sam Rainsy, the president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, and Kem Sokha, the party’s vice president, coincides with the long-awaited election in Myanmar, which Aung San Suu Kyi and her party are expected to win. In recent weeks, meanwhile, two Cambodian opposition lawmakers were severely beaten outside the National Assembly and Kem Sokha was ousted as Assembly vice president via a unilateral vote by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party. At a news conference in Japan on Tuesday, Sam Rainsy warned against political tensions in Cambodia ahead of its elections, scheduled for 2017 and 2018, according to Kem Sokha’s official Facebook page. “We called on the international community, especially Japan, to ease the tension to be normal regarding the political agreement on July 22, 2014, in order to ensure a free, fair and democratic election,” Sam Rainsy said, adding that accountability and an independent investigation of the attacks on lawmakers should also be addressed. Sam Rainsy was referring to political dialogue that began in 2014, following a nearly yearlong boycott of government by the opposition, which claimed the 2013 elections had been marred by irregularities. This year, the two sides agreed on the formation of a new National Election Committee. But their relations have deteriorated in recent months, following sharp criticism by some opposition lawmakers of the CPP’s handling of contentious border issues with Vietnam. Since then, opposition activists and officials have been jailed, two opposition lawmakers assaulted, and Kem Sokha removed from his Assembly post. Human Rights Watch has said the assaults were reminiscent of the CPP’s treatment of the opposition in the political violence of the 1990s. Sam Rainsy, meanwhile, told reporters in Japan that he wants the international community to use its “leverage” to insist on democratic elections and “not be complacent, even lenient, with [Prime Minister] Hun Sen.” CPP spokesman Sok Eysan dismissed the claims of the opposition leaders as “complaining,” saying, “There is no political tension.” “Calling for support from foreign countries is the habit of the opposition party, which is contradictive to the Cambodian will,” he said. *Please keep eye on Hun Sen and our election, Cambodia opposition pleads to world* Elaine Lies Tuesday, 10 November 2015 5 views [image: Afficher l'image d'origine] TOKYO, (Reuters) - Cambodian opposition leaders on Tuesday called on the world to keep a close eye on upcoming elections after several opposition lawmakers were brutally beaten and a top leader ousted from a key parliamentary post. Ruling party lawmakers stripped Kem Sokha, deputy president of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), of his deputy parliament president post last month, a move that suggests a fragile political deal between the two parties has collapsed. The country is set to hold local elections in 2017 and national elections a year later. Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power for more than 30 years, has warned that a CNRP victory in the 2018 election would see a return to civil war. "The free world has very high leverage so they should not be complacent, even lenient, with Hun Sen, and should insist that a democratic election will be held as scheduled with the supervision of the international community," Sam Rainsy, head of the CNRP, who is visiting Tokyo with Kem Sokha, told reporters. Kem Sokha referred to "confrontation taking place". "I would like to appeal to all the international community to closely monitor and watch the situation before the election process," he added. Hun Sen last month condemned the assault on opposition parliamentarians and said those responsible would be brought to justice. An agreement in July 2014 saw the CNRP end a year-long parliamentary boycott in return for a series of concessions by the long-ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and some rare conciliatory talk by Hun Sen. Kem Sokha had been appointed deputy parliamentary president as part of the deal, a move by the CPP to develop a "new culture of dialogue" with the increasingly popular CNRP. But an illegal July protest over a disputed 2013 election, in which the CNRP's success stunned its rivals, left 11 opposition politicians in jail. Last month, the CPP voted to remove Kem Sokha from his post after the CNRP disparaged the ruling party. Two days before Kem Sokha's ouster, two opposition politicians were violently assaulted. Robust economic growth, jobs creation and sustained peace for an impoverished country roiled by decades of civil war, including under Pol Pot's 1975-79 "killing fields" regime, have ensured Hun Sen's continued re-election, although experts say he now faces a strong challenge from a rejuvenated opposition popular among urban youth -- Sincerely yours,- ដោយការគោរពរាប់អាន!!! *CNRP-Washington Team (**ក្រុមការងារគណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិរដ្ឋវ៉ាស៊ីងតោន)* Email: *cnr...@gmail.com <cnr...@gmail.com>* Phone: *206-850-7565* Like us: *Facebook.com/CNRP.WA <http://facebook.com/CNRP-WA>* *Donate: CNRP Chase Account: 422 981 188. * *Address: PO BOX 58472. Tukwila, WA 98138-1472.**For those who do not wish to receive this email, please reply with "Unsubscribe"*. -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. Thank you for your understanding. 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